City and organization act to preserve Old Humboldt Road

Old Humboldt Road in Chico an area already known for its history is now becoming known as a hot spot for illegal activity.

Posted: Jul 5, 2019 6:16 PM

Updated: Jul 6, 2019 4:17 PM

Posted By: Christina Vitale

CHICO, Calif. - Old Humboldt Road in Chico, an area already known for its history, is now becoming known as a hot spot for illegal activity.

A recent fire that sparked from fireworks on Old Humboldt Road has caused some concern for neighbors in the area.

Action News Now spoke with a woman who said in the two years she's lived at Oak Valley Subdivision she's experienced five fires close to her home.

"It's just so not what we would want in our environment it's unhealthy its an eyesore," Kelly Candelaria said.

Candelaria told Action News Now she sees a variety of activities happening on old Humboldt Road from her window.

"It's been homeless activity prostitution there's drug use and people just park there constantly and then the latest situation - parties kids go up there - the latest situation was firecrackers up on Humboldt," Canderlaria said.

Teens and illegal fireworks were blamed for the brush fire on the night of July 3rd.

"I don't know if I really knew in my mind but I knew the potential of a fire to start would happen," she said.

Kelly Candelaria said she was watering her garden when she was alarmed by a loud noise.

"I heard the pop pop pop pop pop so I came out immediately and I actually yelled at my neighbors who were walking down the walking path and they were like 'no, it's across the way'," she said. "But I looked over and saw fireworks going off the smoke cloud in the air and a guy and another guy just running away from the scene.

Candelaria ran inside to call 9-1-1.

"By the time I walked back out here, the fire had started... So it started right over there and that's where the cloud of smoke was for the firecrackers and then as it popped and the fire started it started moving along right towards houses," she said.

Candelaria said she would hate to see anything happen to her neighborhood, let alone the city of Chico.

"We can't take anything for granted anymore we have to be so careful," she said.

And she's not the only neighbor concerned about the activity happening on Old Humboldt Road.

"It's a disruption to our peace comfort and safety so we'd just like to see the laws being enforced fully and that something be done permanently to address the situation on Humboldt," a neighbor said.